You seem to be taking this awfully seriously. This was, as the thread title stated, a “little driving/parking rant.”
I was driving down the street when the person in front of me slowed and stopped with no signal whatsoever. She sat there in her car for a moment, and then put it in reverse. Then I realized that there was an empty parking space to my right, a car on my butt, and traffic coming the other way. She was an idiot. Hey, Gorilla, get offa my raincloud.
Dude, actually. And I don’t think I have family in Sydney, but I’d love to come over and find out.
In the state of Indiana, we have a simple law: if your windshield wipers are on, your headlights must be on. Not your daytime running lamps, not your parking lights - your headlights. It doesn’t matter if it’s high noon on the summer solstice - windshield wipers = headlights. Period!
Same in Ohio – and it always seems to be the grey-coloured cars, which merge into the rain and thus become invisible that don’t turn their lights on when it’s raining.
People who try to make unprotected left turns. Don’t they realize it is probably easier to make a right and then either make a U turn or double back? Especially if the traffic is very heavy.
Nope, especially since 95% of the time, in my experience, there’s going to be at least one person behind you, whom you should signal for, to, you know, let your intentions be known. I should have said you were taught to parallel park only 5% of the time (basically between 2:30 AM and 5:00 AM.
It makes sense that you never encounter the clusterfuck being discussed if you only try to parallel when there’s essentially no traffic.
I hate those rock-hauling trucks that have signs on the back of it that say “Stay Back 100 Feet” in lettering so small you can’t read it until you’re within 50 feet, and the other sign says “Not Responsible For Objects Thrown From Roadway”.
Well guess what fuckstick, those “objects thrown from roadway” are falling out of your fucking truckonto the roadway, and then bouncing into the front end of my car, so yes, you ARE responsible when you chip my paint or nick my fucking windshield because you cannot secure you’re load properly!
I’ve heard one report on the SDMB that someone actually sued one of those companies in small claims court. They paid up in court.
That’s exactly what I’d do. I get stuck behind those trucks every day going to and from work. I’m tired of hearing the bang! from those rocks hitting my car.
I’m afraid you’re wrong about that. See here and especially here. Those drivers are trying to do everybody a favour. I always try to do this in traffic jams. Five car lengths is maybe a little excessive.
Well, that’s true, they should try to slow down gently to maintain the separation. Avoiding the use of brakes is the key.
I’m aware of the wave theory, and even follow it when traffic is moving at a steady pace, but it doesn’t apply here. The backup is from a 3 lane to 2 lane merge, and I certainly haven’t seen traffic in the lane behind one of these people be any smoother than in a lane where people keep a constant, small, distance. The delay between when traffic stops and starts up again, by the way, is much greater than the time for someone a few car lengths back to reach the car in front and have to brake anyway.
The negative impact of this behavior is that cars in the next lane over tend to pull into the space, which disrupts traffic flow, both because they tend to brake as they check to see if there is space, and because the person causing the hole brakes to maintain distance. This behavior encourages one of the biggest causes of congestion, unnecessary lane changes.
Keeping a good distance when the traffic is moving steadily around 30, say, is something totally different.
I have a hatchback. On a relatively small car (Caliber). When I park forward in my space enough so I have room to put my cart there and unload, please do not pull your Gargantuan Vehicular Unit 3 feet into my space and eliminate the room I left for loading. If you can’t fit your GVU into a regular space, find another place to park.